Tony Abbott: ‘Climate change is good because people get cold sometimes’ (no, really)

Also, Manly beach looks kinda the same in photos – so how could climate change possible be happening?

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott is back in the news this week – and it’s got nothing to do with ‘the gays’.

Abbott gave a speech at a London meeting of the Global Warming Policy Group – a climate sceptic organisation – where he not only doubted the effectiveness of policies to prevent climate change, but suggested it was actually a good thing.

Abbott said that Manly beach had looked the same for 100 years, so therefore sea level rise wasn’t taking place. He backed up his claims saying that there have been loads of pictures of the beach over that time and they’re all pretty consistent.

“In most countries, far more people die in cold snaps than in heatwaves, so a gradual lift in global temperatures, especially if it’s accompanied by more prosperity and more capacity to adapt to change, might even be beneficial.”

While people from Siberia might welcome tropical winters, Abbott doesn’t represent the good people of Siberia. Abbott’s statement deliberately disregards evidence that future summers are likely to be deadly across the globe, potentially reaching 50C in Sydney and Melbourne.

His comments also backtrack on previous statements he’s made – including during the negotiations of the Paris Agreement. Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop has told reporters she has no idea what changed Abbott’s mind, but said he appears to have gone back on statements and actions made when he led the country.

“The views he expressed recently are different to those he expressed as prime minister when he supported the Paris agreement, and in fact set a nationally determined targets and the renewable energy target was established under then Prime Minister Abbott”, Bishop said.

It’s uncertain why exactly the former PM has changed his tune on climate change – from being generally sane but pro coal to becoming full US Republican wacko – but it appears Tone has decided to follow the path of Martin Shkreli and just become completely hated by the internet in every possible way.

The whole thing just makes you want to curl up with a nice drop of red and an onion or two to await a beautiful future with no cold snaps where everything is fine.